The Nameless
by Luthien's-Dream
Summary: Things are going missing from the camp. Robin's accused of stealing things he hasn't stolen. The outlaws are in danger, but is this just the Sheriff or is it the work of someone else? Someone who may be much more dangerous. Based on the BBC series.
1. Chapter 1

The Nameless – Chapter 1

Summary: Things are going missing from the camp, Robin's stolen things he hasn't stolen. The outlaws are in danger, but is this just the Sheriff or is it the work of someone else? Someone who may be much more dangerous.

Disclaimer: I do not own Robin, Marian, Little John, Will or Alan, more the shame. The only character I own is, well, I can reveal nothing at this moment in time, so you'll have to read on to find out.

The Sheriff's Chambers – Nottingham Castle

"I want him found!" The Sheriff demand of Gisbourne. He banged his hands on his desk for extra emphasis, "I want Robin Hood and his band of sodding outlaws found and brought here! Do you understand, Gisbourne?"

"Yes my Lord." Gisbourne replied reluctantly, he was asked this almost everyday, it didn't make catching the elusive outlaw any easier, "And how do you suppose I do that?"

"I don't care! Just catch him!" The Sheriff fumed, "He's stolen my ring! The one that my sister brought me." He winced at the thought of what his sister would do if she found out, "I want you to find him and get the ring back!"

"Of course, my Lord." Gisbourne stated again getting bored with the Sheriffs rant already. "What does the ring look like?"

"It's pure gold, with an extremely expensive, cut red ruby and engraved on the back of it is; _I will kill that stupid outlaw!_" The sheriff shouted.

"Right," Gisbourne turned slowly towards the door, "I'll get my men." Gisbourne strode out of the room, his black jacket flapping behind him. The door closed behind him and left the Sheriff alone in his own chambers.

He felt his finger where the ring should have been. He felt incomplete without it there, as if he wasn't properly dressed. It worried him to think that Robin Hood could climb into his own personal chambers during the night and steal something from right under his nose, or, in this case from off his finger; he never took that ring off.

He moved to the window and looked out over Nottingham. He controlled all this land, here people obeyed him. Sherwood Forest was there in the distance, the home to those thieving band of Outlaws. He wondered what Robin was up to now, what was he scheming and plotting to do next? The Sheriff drummed his fingers on the window sill in thought.

_Whoosh._ An arrow landed with a thud in between his third and fourth fingers. The Sheriff snatched his hand back and stepped away. Speared on the arrow was an envelope. He tore it off and withdrew from the window in case there were any more arrows. He tore it open the envelope.

Inside it was his ring, perfectly intact. The one Robin Hood had stolen that previous night. Now he had given it back. Showing off his superb archer skills at the same time, of course. That was strange. Why steal something to then give it back? Was it to prove what he was capable of? Was it to scare him? Was it a threat?

That only made the Sheriff more determined than ever to catch him.

………………………………………………………………………………………

The Outlaws Camp – Sherwood Forest

"Much, where have you put my bow and quiver?" Robin asked, his hands resting on his hips.

"I haven't touched them, Master." Much replied honestly.

"What about you Allan?" Robin turned to the man behind him who was at that moment sat down eating his breakfast. Allan shook his head, "Will? John? Djaq?" he asked the outlaws in turn, each shook their heads. "Are you sure? I could have sworn I left them here." He stared in puzzlement at the empty spot as if by looking at it, it could tell him where they were.

He moved through the camp searching for it. "Have any of you seen them?" he asked once again, none had. The rest of the outlaws stood up to help him look for the weapon.

"I'm not being funny right, but I don't think it's here." Allan came to the conclusion.

"What do you mean? Of course it's here! Where else would it be?" Robin held his arms up in exasperation.

"I dunno, maybe you left it in Nottingham?" Will suggested.

Robin shot him a look, "I wouldn't do that, I'm not stupid." he snapped.

"Well if it's not here, where is it?" John asked the obvious question. The outlaws looked at each other blankly.

"Stolen?" Djaq voiced.

"How would it be stolen, no one knows where the camp is." Much pointed out, "Do they?"

Robin look grave, "How would they? And why would they steal my Bow and Arrows?"

"You don't think it's the Sheriff do you?" Much worried.

"I don't know. But I'm not going to stay here to find out. Take your belongings and come with me. I think we need to have a talk with Marian, see if she can shed any light on the matter.

The gang gathered together their belongings quickly and they set off through the forest.

"How would anyone find out where the camp is anyway? It's really well hidden." Will asked.

"I don't know. We're the only one's, besides Marian, who know where it is." Robin frowned with the questions buzzing round his head, "But I'm going to find out."

Knighton Hall

Soon they arrived at Marian's home, Knighton hall. The manor house loomed above them but far from being imposing it was welcoming and it made the outlaws long for a bath and a warm bed, a thing they hadn't had in a long time.

"Will, stay here, keep a look out for trouble. John and Alan go round the house, keep an eye out, you know the drill. Much and Djaq, I want you to go into Nottingham, here's some money, spread the happiness, you know the kind of thing. Don't draw any attention to your selves. I won't be long." With that he jumped up and caught hold of the beam , flipping himself on top of it he could then reach Marian's window and, taking a quick look inside, he clambered through.

Marian wasn't in there. Her bed was neatly made, the curtains around it pulled back. He wandered casually over to the wardrobe and opened it up. It was full of her dresses as expected. He reached inside and touched the silk of one of the dresses; it was soft to his touch. It smelt like Marian too, that sweet scent that sent his mind wirling. But he couldn't help but think that one of these dresses would feed a family in Loxley for a month.

"Spying on me were you?" Robin span round to face Marian who was leaning casually against the bed post

"Creeping up on me were you?" he grinned back at her.

"What are you here for?" she asked him.

"Do I need a reason?" he took several steps towards her

"Yes, remember, you never have time for a quick chat, you're always off trying to save the King." She replied, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"I'm sorry." He said and looked down at the wooden floorboards, "I suppose I do have something to ask." He admitted then paused.

"Well, what is it, then? I haven't got all day; Gisbourne said he was going to come round to visit me today."

"Gisbourne." Robin spat out his name, he sighed "I need to ask you if you've told anyone where the camp is."

"No." she replied bluntly, "I promised you didn't I? I haven't even mentioned it to anyone. Why?"

"Someone's come into our camp and stolen something." He said seriously.

"What did they steal?" Marian asked concerned.

"My weapon." He replied quietly.

"Oh. I had wondered the lack of your bow."

"It's not just that, if they know where our camp is they could murder us in our sleep, they could…" he trailed off, lost in his thoughts of what could happen.

"You're worried for the safety of your men. And that it could be the sheriff." Marian noted. Robin nodded his head in confirmation, "Well, I don't think it is the Sheriff." She stated.

"You don't?" Robin said, surprised.

"No. If it had been him, don't you think he would have done more than just stolen you're bow?" she didn't leave him any time to comment, "No, he wouldn't have risked you getting away."

"Then who is it?" Robin replied, his voice tight with anxiety.

Marian pursed her lips, "I don't know, I'll try to find out what I can but I can't promise anything."

She looked at Robin whose face was white with worry. "Oh, Robin." She said quietly and reached up and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Don't you ever get tired of playing the hero?" he smiled at her and took her hand in his,

"So long as there's a Gisbourne and a Sheriff in this world, I have to be." He moved her hand to his lips but she pulled it back before he could kiss it.

"Robin." Will's voice called up to them from the ground below.

"I have to go." Robin told Marian, "Try not to miss me too much." He smirked and turned to go to the window.

"Robin!" Will's voice came again, more stressed this time. Robin made it to the window in time to see Gisbourne accompanied by five of his men come galloping towards Knighton hall. He jumped down from the window and landed expertly on the ground.

"Let's go Will." He called to his comrade. They dashed around to the back of the manor to see Alan and John standing there, weapons drawn. Robin called to them too and the four of them ran for the cover of the surrounding trees.

Back in Knighton hall Marian rushed down the stairs to greet Gisbourne who had just knocked on the door. She smoothed down the front of her dress before opening the door.

"Marian." Gisbourne greeted her.

"Sir Guy." She nodded her head slightly, "Please, come in."

"Thank you. I'm afraid I can't stay long, I'm on business."

"Oh, is it important?" Marian questioned

"Yes, something very valuable to the sheriff has been stolen. Three guesses who stole it."

"You don't think, Robin Hood? Surely not!" Robin wouldn't have, would he, she thought, he hadn't mentioned anything of it to her anyway.

"Yes Marian, that's what he is, a good for nothing thief. But don't worry; I won't let him touch you. You're safe with me." He took a step towards her. She took a step back.

"Can I get you anything to drink? Some food perhaps?"

"No. As I said I really don't have long." He reached inside his pocket and with drew a small, intricately carved, wooden box. "I came to give this to you."

"What is it?"

"It is a present. Open it and you will find out." He pressed it into her hand.

Carefully she unhooked the catch and opened the lid. Inside was a small gold chain, a bracelet, with a green jewel attached.

"What did I say about giving me gifts?" Marian replied sternly.

"I can't help it, I thought it was beautiful, like you." He stepped towards her again.

"You better be going." Marian said quickly. "As you said, you have important business to attend to. And take this. When I say no gifts I mean no gifts."

"You don't like it?" Gisbourne sounded offended.

"No, I do." Marian replied before she could stop herself, it was after all a very pretty piece of jewellery. "It's just that…"

Guy folded her hand over the trinket. "Keep it. Please." His eyes pleaded with her too, she couldn't say no now.

"Very well. But you really must be off."

"Yes." He agreed," I'll come again soon Marian. Good day." He turned and walked out of the door, leaving Marian stood with the bracelet hanging in her hand.

The Market – Nottingham

Robin, Will, John and Alan found Djaq and Much in the market having given the money to those who needed it. They were now standing in one of the side alleys, discussing what they should do next.

"Well, we can't stay here all night." Alan pointed out.

"I know, but do you really want to go back to somewhere that's not safe?" Robin argued.

"Did Marian have any clue as to who might have been there?" Djaq asked.

Robin shook his head, "No. She seemed certain of it too." He said grimly, "She also said that she didn't think that it was the Sheriff."

"What? Who else would it be?" Alan protested.

"She has a point."

"What! Of course it's the sheriff. I suppose he was bound to find it sometime or other."

"No, I think if it was the Sheriff he would have done more than just stolen a weapon, he wouldn't let Robin get away that easily."

"Women!" Will rolled his eyes earning him a hit from Djaq.

"That's exactly what Marian said." Robin said, "But if it's not him who is it?" The gang had blank looks on their faces; this was clearly a matter that wasn't going to be solved easily.

"What do you suggest we do then Master?" Much asked.

"I suggest that we go back to camp, be on our guard, if there's anything out of the ordinary we come straight back here." They nodded in agreement.

Robin raised his hood and, with a careful look down the market, he turned onto the main street. The others followed his lead. But before they had passed three stalls a voice shouted after them.

"There he is. Guards get him!" It was Gisbourne's voice. Robin turned round to see Guy mounted on his horse with five guards surrounding him who were dismounting to be able to go through the crowds, towards robin and the outlaws.

"Split up, now. Much with me, John with Djaq and Alan with Will. Meet back at camp." Robin ordered quickly whilst breaking into a run. This was bad news, Guy could now recognise them by face.

Djaq and John turned down an alley to the left followed by two of the guards. At the same time that Robin and Much darted down one on the right. Alan and Will continued forward, followed by the rest of the guards, none of them seemed to have noticed Robin and Much's disappearance.

"Not them, you oafs!" Guy's voice boomed, "They went that way."

Robin and Much didn't stop to look behind to see if the guards were following Gisbourne's orders, they could already hear the heavy footfall of the guards. They continued to running down the alley. Suddenly they took a sharp turn to the left, and then they twisted back on themselves. The alley was getting narrower. Now only it was only wide enough for one man.

Robin was leading the way with Much behind him. The footsteps of the guards had gone now, but they took no chances and continued running.

As they darted along the alleyway Robin thought he saw a glimpse of black material flapping above him but he shook his head and dismissed it as a figment of his imagination.

The footsteps returned again, the guards were back on their trail again.

A figure suddenly dropped down in front of him. It was wearing a black cloak that would probably have reached down to the ground if the figure had been standing, it had a hood that covered its face in shadow. Robin was unable to tell whether it was a man or a woman. But before he had time to ask the figure, it shoved a bow and quiver into his hands.

His bow and quiver.

Was this the person who had stolen them? Who was this person? Then, in the blink of an eye, the figure disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Robin stood, frozen like a statue, his bow and quiver hanging loose in his hands.

"He went this way!" a guard's cry quickly jolted him back into action again and he and Much sprinted away.

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A/N: Okay, this is my first RH fanfic so I'm kinda still getting used to the characters. This chapter is a whole lot longer than I usually write but then I suppose I kinda got carried away. I can't promise any consistency between chapter lengths or how often I update, but I promise that it's going to be good (or at least I think it's going to be).

So please review and tell me what you think.

Luthien x


	2. Chapter 2

The Nameless – Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Robin, Marian, Little John, Will or Allan, more is the shame.

The Camp – Sherwood Forest

John and Djaq were the first to arrive back at the camp, having managed to sneak past the guards in the bath of a cloth merchant's wagon. They sat in silence waiting for the others to arrive back.

Robin was the next to appear from the trees, looking slightly worn out, much followed him, looking like he was going to collapse. He sat down on the nearest chair.

"John, Djaq." Robin greeted them, "Allan and Will not back yet? " he asked, they shook their heads. He wasn't too worried; they'd turn up soon. "Hey Much, How about you get us something to eat? I haven't eaten anything all day and I'm sure Will and Allan will appreciate something when they return."

Giving Robin an exasperated look Much wearily stood up and made his way over to the kitchen to select his ingredients.

There was the sudden drumming of horse hooves pounding on the frozen ground approaching; the outlaws gave each other startled looks. Was this one of the guards? Had it indeed been the Sheriff that knew where the camp is? They drew their weapons and hurried into a defensive circle.

The horse crashed through the trees, snorting loudly, it came to a stop just before the camp and a man fell off its back.

"Allan!" Robin cried. Seeing the man's arm red with blood he asked, "What happened?" Then another realisation dawned on him, "Where's Will?"

"I'm sorry… the guards…I couldn't…they cornered him…I had to run." Allan gasped, struggling to fight back tears.

"Is he alive?" Robin asked quietly.

Allan shook his head, "I don't know. They took him away…" he collapsed in agony again.

"That's enough questions," Djaq ordered, "Help lift him over to this bed." John and Robin picked Allan up and placed him on the bed whilst she fetched the medical supplies. She deftly washed and bandaged his arm with cloth. "Take off your shirt." She ordered.

"What?" Allan replied, shocked at the request.

"You've hurt your stomach haven't you? I need to see the wound." He nodded and with some difficulty and Djaq's help, removed the clothing.

There was a small circle of purple skin, the veins around it were green and pulsing, Djaq looked at him questioningly, "They punched me." He replied quietly, ashamed to let the others know that something as simple as a punch was causing him so much pain. Djaq's face paled as she realised what had happened.

"What is it?" Robin asked

"I think whoever punched him had a poisoned ring on."

"A poisoned ring?"

"Yes, they are rings that have small spikes attached which have been coated in poison. They are not common in England, but I have seen a few of them back in my country. If the poison gets into the bloodstream it can been fatal." Allan looked terrified.

"Surely not." Much said, refusing to believe that his friends life was at stake.

"How long does he have?" Robin asked.

"Usually the poison used in the rings is a fairly slow working one, but if I guess correctly about half an hour."

"Is there a cure?" John asked.

"Yes. However, I don't have it." Djaq told him, "I have to go into Loxley. There is a chance that someone might have it there." She glanced back down at Allan, assessing his state, "Take care of him; don't let him move from that bed. Don't let him fall asleep. I'll be back as soon as I can." Robin nodded. With that she mounted the horse and set off once more through the forest, this time with the utmost hast.

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The Castle – Nottingham

"My Lord we have one of his men." Gisbourne informed the Sheriff.

"Really? Where? Wait, what about Robin Hood?" he stood up, gripping the arms of his chair.

"He has escaped, again." Gisbourne added with frustration. "But we have one of his men in the dungeons."

"Let me see him."

"Of course my Lord, I will prepare him for your arrival." He beckoned one of the guards towards him and barked a few orders at him until the guard saluted him and turned and left the room.

"So, Gisbourne," the Sheriff said casually. "How are things with Marian?"

"I beg your pardon, my Lord?" Gisbourne replied, since when had the Sheriff cared about his personal life?

"You obviously find her so important. Hmm? In fact, you think that she's so important that you had to go and visit her, just after I'd just given you express orders to capture an outlaw." The sheriff shouted. Gisbourne gazed down at the floor, he'd been caught out, "I do not appreciate being disobeyed Gisbourne. You better hope that this outlaw is useful."

Guy gritted his teeth, "Yes my Lord."

"Right, well, shall we see him then?" The sheriff rubbed his hands together and strode out of the room, Gisbourne followed behind.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Camp – Sherwood Forest

"Djaq, I think he's getting worse." Robin told her as she dismounted the young horse. "Djaq?" Robin repeated, wondering why she was not hurrying over to Allan's side. "Please tell me you found the cure." He whispered.

Djaq silently shook her head. "It is too rare," Robin turned away, he felt sick. One man missing and now one was to die. He refused to believe it.

"I'll go to Nottingham; I'll raid the Sheriff's supplies."

Djaq shook her head again, "He is out of time. Even if you had gone when he had first come back you wouldn't have made it in time." Robin opened his mouth trying to think of what he could do, he wasn't going to let a man of his loose his life without a fight. It wasn't fair. "I'm sorry Robin."

Djaq turned to go and tell Allan of her news. She stopped in her tracks. "What's this?" she picked up a scroll that had appeared on the table in her absence. A vial of pale green liquid dropped down from within the paper, Djaq caught it with her free hand. The outlaws watched her in silence as she opened the lid of the tiny bottle and took an experimental sniff of the liquid.

A bemused smile sprang to her face. "It's the antidote." She whispered, hardly daring to believe this miracle. But without stopping to question where it had come from, she ran over to Allan and gingerly put a couple of drops of the stuff on his wound. Allan hissed in pain. "Drink a bit." She ordered and pressed the bottle to his lips. Hesitantly he took a small sip. He winced at the bitterness but swallowed.

"Will he be okay now?" Much asked concern thick in his voice.

"Yes." Djaq smiled. "I think he will. It should only take a couple of minutes for the antidote to kick in and counteract the effects of the poison. However he may feel quite ill for a few more days but he's going to be okay now." She grinned and took hold of his hand. "You're going to live." She squeezed his hand tightly.

"Where did it come from?" Robin said, interrupting the moment. "Who put it there?" The outlaws looked at each other; they had seen no one come into the camp. "No one saw anything?"

Djaq stood up, "Read the scroll, maybe it might tell you." She suggested.

Robin walked over and warily picked up the abandoned scroll. He pulled on the black ribbon that was tied around it, the parchment unfurled. Smoothing it out in his hands he read the neat, curled handwriting:

_Robin of Loxley,_

_At ten strikes go to The Black Dog. _

_Give the vial to the watcher outside. _

_He'll take you to where you will meet me._

_Bring only one man._

_Signed, _

_The Nameless _

Robin re-read the letter out loud to the men.

"It sounds like a trap to me." John said.

"You think it's the Sheriff?" Much asked.

"I wouldn't put it past him." Robin pursed his lips in thought. "But did he really think I would fall for it? I mean, as John said, it's got 'trap' practically written all over it. I thought the Sheriff had a few more brain cells than that."

"So, it's not the Sheriff?" Djaq asked.

"What I think he's trying to say is that the Sheriff has lost what small amount of sanity he once had." Much commented.

"No Much. What I'm trying to say is that what if it's not the Sheriff?" The gang looked at him with confused expressions. "I suggest that we meet up with this 'Nameless'. Let's see just whose game this is."

"Master, that's ridiculus! Two of us are just going to walk into the Sheriff's clutches as easy as that?"

"No Much, not two. We'll all be there – "

"It said just to bring one man –"

"- I know what it said. Much, you'll come with me. The Black Dog is on the corner of West Street and Cobblers Street. Djaq will wait in an alley just around the corner in West Street. John I want you to wait in Cobblers Street, there's little cover there but try to look as inconspicuous as you can."

"What about me?" Allan rasped.

"Sorry Allan. You're sick. I can't put your life at risk. We set off at sunset." Robin turned to walk away when Djaq's voice called out small and afraid.

"What about Will?"

Robin cringed. With all the fluster about Allan and the letter he had completely forgotten about Will. How could he, forgetting about a man like that was completely against everything he stood for. He kicked himself for being so awful.

Robin turned round; he thought for a second, "Well, Allan said that he'd been captured, right, but not killed. So chances are that he's being held in the dungeons of the castle. We've completed rescues before, we can do it again."

"Then we rescue Will?" Djaq said.

Robin shook his head slowly. "This Nameless has already managed to break into our camp twice, once right under our noses. I don't know what they plan to do to us but I won't put us in any more danger than necessary, we have to meet them and find out what they want. "

"But what about Will?" this time it was Allan who spoke up.

Robin put a hand to his head in thought. "They know he's one of my men. If I guess right they won't kill him, they'll use him as bait for me. To wait for us to come and rescue him." Robin bit his tongue in frustration, this rescue was expected, that could, make it more difficult. "But I'm not taking that chance. I'm going to have to see Marian again; I'll ask her if she can gain access to the castle under the pretence of seeing Guy, maybe she can find something out. If she had any suspicion at all that he was in danger I'd get her to report it to us. Is that okay with everyone?"

The gang exchanged glances, it seemed pretty safe. They knew that Robin would never let any one of his men get hurt but still, they weren't willing to let Will be in any danger. However they knew they had no chance of breaking into the castle without Robin so they'd just have to go along with his plan.

They nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate your understanding. "He nodded at them before he walked off into the forest, his destination, Knighton Hall.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Nottingham Castle – The dungeons

The door to the dungeons opened with a bone grinding screech, Gisbourne doubted that anyone had oiled the hinges in years. The jailor bowed to them as he let the Sheriff and him pass. Gisbourne's boots clinked against the stone as he walked towards the very end cell where Will was currently imprisoned.

Will sat with his back pressed against the wall. His head hung downwards, it was pounding and painful from where one of the guards had managed to knock him out. He had no idea what had happened to Allan. He hoped he was okay.

Will could hear the footsteps coming towards him. He slowly raised his head to see who it was. The Sheriff and Sir Guy of Gisbourne. That didn't bode too well for him.

"Ah," the sheriff's voice cracked, "Who's this then? Come on then, no need to be shy. Tell me your name."

Will hung his head back down. "Now then, we can't have this. Come on; tell us your name boy." Will didn't make any moves. The Sheriff tutted loudly. "Not that it will help much anyway. We already know your one of Hoods men. It'll only be a matter of time before you lead us to him."

"I'd sooner die than betray Robin." Will snapped forgetting he was trying to stay silent.

"Ah, so he does speak. And on first name terms with our elusive outlaw as well. He may be of even more use than I first thought." The Sheriff bent down so he was nearer Will's level. "You see, whilst you may be willing to die for Hood, he won't let you. Sooner or later he'll come along and rescue you. Then you'll all go back to the forest and live happily ever after. A clue? No." the Sheriff rose up again. "Let's set a little trap for your friend, eh? Let's see what Hood'll make of that then. Gisbourne."

The Sheriff turned nodding to Gisbourne as he did and walked swiftly past. Will daren't let his tongue loose again, for fear of letting something slip. Gisbourne leaned across to the jailor and whispered something into his ear before he too left the prison. The jailor grinned and unhooked a ring of keys from his belt.

As he unlocked the door to Will's cell. Will looked nervously around, what were they doing? Were they letting him go? He doubted it. The jailor grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the cell.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head boy, we've got somewhere nice and cosy lined up for you." The jailor gave a wheezy laugh and clamped handcuffs on him before he had a chance to try to escape.

Not that Will was stupid enough to do that anyway, not with two guards standing by anyway. The jailor handed him over to the guard nearest.

"Take him to the tower." He said with a smile.

The tower? Will had never heard of someone being taken to the tower before. He'd always thought the tower just contained the Sheriffs rooms. Now why would he be taken there. But before he had time to think upon the matter he was pulled off his feet by the guard who proceeded to drag him out of the dungeons.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Outside The Black Dog inn

After talking to Marian and getting her to agree to keep watch at the castle the gang bar Allan had headed for Nottingham for their meeting with 'The Nameless'.

"Djaq, John. Get to your posts. Any sight of guards or anything that looks like trouble give the signal. Remember, one whistle. Then get yourselves out." Djaq and John nodded before separating from the group and heading in oppositions to their positions. With their dark cloaks covering them they were almost invisible in the darkness.

Robin led Much right up to the door both of them looking around for any signs of danger. Robin placed his hand on the door of the Inn meaning to open it, he couldn't see anyone outside waiting for them.

But he felt Much grip his shoulder and as he turned he saw a man walking up to them. The man was wearing ordinary clothes; brown trousers, a white shirt, a browny green cloak over both to keep out the chill of the air. His head was close shaven though and his skin tanned dark.

As he came closer they noticed his pale grey eyes, the iris almost fading into the whit of the eye, the pupil large and the black of it contrasting. The man strangely gave them a small bow and said, "Robin of Loxley?" he asked. Robin noted the second use of his formal name.

"Yes." He replied.

The man nodded to them, "Blindfolds." He stated pulling out two pieces of material from under his clothes.

Robin gave a short laugh, "I don't think so."

"Very well then. Follow me." He said with a sweep of his arm, as if he was showing them around a palace not the back streets of Nottingham.

They followed him down several alleys and streets, Robin thought of Djaq and John who were still waiting in position, they weren't going to be of much help now but Robin should have known that from the start. When the man finally stopped Robin realised that they were only one street away from where they had started, this man had led them practically in a full circle. Maybe this was an attempt to confuse him but it was a foolish attempt.

The man then opened a small door in the face of one of the buildings.

"Weapons." He stated. Robin could tell he was a man of very little words already. Reluctantly Robin handed his bow, quiver and long sword over to the man, Much followed suit handing over his short sword and his shield.

"Up there." The man pointed up the dark staircase that was through the doorway.

Warily robin made his way slowly up the stair case, Much followed close behind him. He turned round just in time to see the man shut the door on them. The stair case was thrown into darkness.

"I'm beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea now master." Much said and gulped. He reached for the knife he still had concealed under his cloak. Robin did the same.

They reached the top of the stairs and found one simple wooden door. Robin gently kicked the door open and looked around to see if there was anyone inside the room.

The room was a small affair with only a bare bed in it and a small wooden table at the far end. The floor was bare wood and the walls plain white wash with out a hint of a tapestry or shelf to break it up. There was one small window at the end where a shutter banged open and shut in the wind. Across the ceiling were the wooden beams that supported the roof.

But what was most obvious was that there was no one in the room. Robin was definitely beginning to think that this was a bad idea.

He turned round to face Much, "Much, let's get out –"

"Leaving so soon, Hood?"


End file.
